Understanding of the Heart
by hazydaze
Summary: Future Fic, Clois. A little help from the Bard and Lois begins to understand her feelings. One-Shot


Warnings/Spoilers: No spoilers as it's a future fic. Warning - Excessive fluff towards the end.

Summary: A little help from the Bard and Lois begins to understand her feelings.

A/N: Some sweetness in the midst of all my doom writing.

Lois spun back on her chair again as she waited for the phone call that would revive her lagging story. It was late, again. She doubted that Chloe would be home when she eventually decided to leave. Lois sighed as she checked off another night that she and her cousin wouldn't be able to spend talking about her impending nuptials. Lois was happy for Chloe, she had found that someone would sweep her off her feet and love her.

_Okay maybe slightly jealous,_ Lois conceded. It's not like there were guys breaking down the door to get to know the woman behind the workaholic. Yes, working at a large metropolitan newspaper required certain sacrifices and she was willing to make them. Lois loved her job and she was reaping the rewards with nominations for various awards coming in thick and fast.

Lois was startled when she heard a clanking at the elevators. Tensing, she moved to open her drawer, then let out a breath of relief. Clark Kent stood rather sheepishly at the double doors of the bull pen.

"What'd you do this time Smallville?" Lois teased.

"There was this lighting stand right outside the doors." Clark set down his prize on Lois' desk. He had been on an errand for Chinese food when he left. Lois noticed a dirt smudge on his neck, Clark obviously felt her gaze and offered her some chow mein.

"Clark that light stand was three feet to the left and in the opposite direction of the bullpen." Lois corrected him. Clark looked at her blankly. Lois shook her head, "It's not a problem Clark but I swear you weren't this clumsy when we were younger."

"Well it could be an inner ear thing. You know balance all out of proportion." Clark summarised as he unwrapped his chopsticks. Lois had opted for a fork, her patience would not hold and she knew it.

"Or your dorkiness finally catching up with you." Lois suggested. Clark just glared at her. Lois happily went back to eating as Clark picked up a book that he had been reading. Lois continued to feign disinterest as Clark turned the pages.

"So?" Lois ventured.

"So, what?" Clark asked her, turning his book down.

Lois rolled her tongue before she spoke, "What. Are. You reading?"

"Oh, just some Shakespeare." Clark lifted the book again to show Lois.

Lois nodded, "Figures you'd be all for the thee's and thou's."

Clark cricked his neck, obviously trying not to become irritated with Lois, "Shakespeare had an understanding of the heart."

"Really." Lois gave him a mockingly dubious look.

"_Journeys end when lovers meet._" Clark quoted, leaning back in his chair.

"Journeys end? Why? Because suddenly there is another person in your life?" Lois pointed out.

"No. The journey ends because when you meet that person you find yourself. The journey…" Clark told Lois.

"…of self discovery is over?" Lois cut him off and finished.

"Something like that." Clark agreed, "You should read some of his work sometime."

"So I can understand love? So I could spout something like -- _Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind, and therefore is winged Cupid painted blind._"

"What did you say?" Clark suddenly looked very out of place.

"Yeah, you're not the only who reads Shakespeare, Clark." Lois smiled as Clark's mouth looked very like a landed fish.

"Obviously not Lois." Clark offered her a dazzling smile of his own. Lois almost felt herself sigh because of it. Lois blinked and corrected herself, Clark must have noticed as he pulled back suddenly rigid again. "Umm, well we don't seem to be making any progress. I think I'm going to go…"

"Bye Lois." Clark offered her a forlorn looking wave.

"Bye Clark." Lois said, almost racing out of there.

--

Lois sat with a bowl of ice cream on her lap and her favourite play, Twelfth Night in hand as she let her mind soak up the words. A little twinge at the corner of her mouth, Lois thought about Clark as she read. There was a distant tap at her window, putting down on the table the book and the bowl, Lois pulled her curtains open.

"Superman." Lois said with a half smile. Opening the window, she watched his feet for a moment as he hovered above the pavement several floors below.

"Lois."

"Anything in particular you're here for Superman? Or just a social visit?" Lois folded her arms and awaited for Superman to speak.

He unfolded his blue clad arms and offered her a piece of paper. Lois glanced quickly at it, it was the break she needed in her story.

"How?" Lois said, her amazement notwithstanding. _How did he know?_

"Clark told me you were having trouble." Superman told her, his arms went back to being folded over his chest.

"Clark." Lois felt a warm smile touch her lips. Lois frowned, Clark was her friend but never had she felt -- fuzzy towards him.

"Lois, are you alright?" Superman asked her, his warm palm pressing at her bicep.

"Do you read Superman?" Lois blurted out but cursed afterwards, "Of course you read but I meant -- ah, do you read plays? Poetry?"

"Ah yes Lois, I do read." Superman nodded his agreement, his hand fell from her shoulder to behind his back as he walked around to her table, "The Twelfth Night?"

"Yeah, girl gets shipwrecked alone without her family and then has to disguise herself as a boy…What can I say, I'm a sticker for dual identities." Lois laughed. Superman looked serious, "Dual identities don't grab you?"

"Yes -- No. I…"

Lois noted how odd it seemed for Superman to be indecisive. He just always seemed to know what to do. In this state he reminded her more of Clark than Superman.

"It's my favourite." Lois smiled fondly, "It was one of the things me and my sister shared."

Superman turned to her, his head tilted slightly and Lois felt like she had to explain, "It's got my favourite quote in it. _Love sought is good but love giv'n unsought is better._" 

"It's a good quote." Superman agreed, Lois noticed his voice seemed thick like his mouth was too dry, "I have to go -- there's a siren."

"Right. Thanks again Superman." Lois waved the paper. Superman nodded.

"I don't want to speak out of place." Superman said as he stopped by the window.

"Superman?" Lois felt the confusion on her face.

"You could just -- tell him."

Lois felt herself being scrutinized by Superman's blue gaze but her mind was elsewhere, "I - I couldn't. He's…"

"Probably feeling the same thing as you."

"It would be complicated, there are -- factors." Lois felt panicky, she wasn't ready to face what had been nudging at her for an amount of time she didn't want to disclose.

"_The course of true love never did run smooth._" Superman said as he took off.

Lois was still in her thoughts when his words finally reached her brain, "Wait -- what?"

--

Lois hadn't been pondering what had happened for 5 minutes when Clark knocked on her door, "Clark?"

"Lois, I - I figured with the new info you'd want to work on the story." Clark's face was slightly confused as if she had been knocking on his door at 1 am.

"Yeah, sure." Lois stepped aside letting Clark in, "How'd you know about the story?"

"Superman." Clark said simply.

"Superman." Lois nodded. Lois also noticed Clark was looking at her as if to try and catch her reaction, "Clark we've talked about this, you don't need to be jealous of Superman. You have a lot of great qualities."

"Really?" Clark smiled, pushing up his glasses. Lois often forgot he wore them now, only when he did that movement did the light switch in her brain remind her.

"Really." Lois said, rubbing the back of her neck.

"Lois you okay?"

"Yeah it's just been a really weird night." Lois admitted.

"Well you did see Superman." Clark said, ignoring Lois glare. He picked up her tub of ice cream and ate a spoonful.

"Not everything is about Superman Clark." Lois told him as she sat down beside him and took the tub and spoon.

"No?" Clark gave her a look of mock surprise.

"No. Sometimes it's about you." Lois licked the ice cream off the spoon.

Clark stilled next to her, Lois tensed too, waiting for the inevitable 'I'm not over Lana' thing. A lot of great women had fallen under it the past year or so. Not that Lois wasn't happy to see them go.

"Lois."

"Right I get it." Lois moved to get up but Clark's hand was iron tight on her wrist. Clark pulled her back down and she fell across his thighs, his hand behind her head. Lois gulped and squeaked, "Clark?"

The first touch of their lips was soft, an experimentation, a gentle graze of their lips. The second was rougher, a collision of heat as Lois wound her arms around Clark's neck. A small gasp escaped Lois as Clark's hand slid gently against her skin and under the back of her shirt. Lois had to pull away so she could take in much needed air into her desperate lungs.

"Took you long enough." Clark said, smirking.

"What? You never…"

"Everyone was well aware about how I feel about you Lois. Except you." Clark's eyes glittered behind his glasses. It was a look he only ever had around Lois. If only she had taken the time to look, she would have known he felt the same has her.

"Well it doesn't matter now does it." Lois said as she tossed her hair back, not enjoying this turn of tables.

"What you're not time wasting then?" Clark said until Lois' fingers traced his collar, then he went a deep shade of red.

"We've got time." Lois said with a secret smile.

"_Forever and a day_?" Clark teased.

"Oh that's cheesy." Lois laughed.

"That's love." Clark countered as he leaned down to kiss Lois again, which she gladly accepted.

Fin.


End file.
